The instant invention relates to dispensing apparatus and more particularly to a dispenser for small articles of substantially uniform dimension and configuration, such as pills, capsules, lozenges, or small candies.
The benefits of utilizing dispensers for individually dispensing small articles, such as pills, capsules, or candies, have generally been heretofore recognized. Specifically, it has been recognized that dispensers which are capable of individually dispensing small articles generally eliminate unnecessary handling and contamination of undispensed articles. It has also been recognized that dispensers simplify the procedures which are necessary for obtaining individual articles from containers, and that they reduce the risks of inadvertent overdosages.
However, while the benefits of utilizing dispensers for dispensing small articles have heretofore been recognized, the prior art has generally failed to provide an effective device for reliably individually dispensing articles, such as pills or capsules, in succession. In this regard, the Apfelbaum U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,352,066; 2,353,629; 2,377,120; Kantrow U.S. Pat. No. 3,027,000; Meijer U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,085; Espinal U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,561; Robbins U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,884; Infante-Diaz et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,804; Lorca U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,365; and Tyson U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,093 disclose dispensing devices which are adapted for use in dispensing small articles, such as pills and the like, and represent the closest prior art to the instant invention of which the applicant is aware. However, many of the devices disclosed in these references are incapable of reliably dispensing individual articles in succession. In any event, the above references fail to teach a dispenser which is operative in the manner of the dispenser of the instant invention for reliably dispensing articles in succession, and hence they are believed to be of only general interest with respect to the instant invention.
The instant invention provides a novel and effective dispenser which is operative with a reciprocating action for reliably dispensing small ingestible articles, such as pills, capsules, caplets, lozenges or small candies. Specifically, the dispenser of the instant invention comprises a base portion which is receivable on a supporting surface for supporting the dispenser thereon, a slide member mounted on the base portion so that it is upwardly and downwardly slidable with respect thereto between a lower first position and an upper second position when the base portion is received on a supporting surface. The slide member is formed with an enlarged storage chamber therein for containing a plurality of the articles, an intermediate passage communicating with the storage chamber and adapted for receiving articles therefrom, and an outlet passage communicating with the intermediate passage. The outlet passage has an outlet opening therein adjacent the lower end thereof, and it is dimensioned and configured for receiving articles and for passing them outwardly through the outlet opening when the base portion is positioned on a supporting surface. The dispenser further comprises guide means mounted on the base portion which is operable for guiding articles from the storage chamber into the intermediate passage when the slide member is moved from the first position thereof to the second position thereof and then back to the first position thereof and transfer means mounted on the base portion which is operative for obstructing the passage of articles from the intermediate passage to the outlet passage when the slide member is in the first position thereof and for transferring a single article from the intermediate passage to the outlet passage when the slide member is moved from the first position thereof to the second position thereof and then back to the first position thereof. The guide means is preferably operative in the storage chamber, and it defines a rounded, downwardly extending trackway which terminates adjacent the intermediate passage when the slide member is in the first position thereof, and the storage chamber is preferably dimensioned and configured for guiding one of the articles into the trackway when the slide member is in the second position thereof. The intermediate chamber is preferably dimensioned and configured for receiving and containing a single one of the articles at a time, and the guide means is preferably operable for guiding a single article from the storage chamber into the intermediate passage each time the slide member is moved from the first position thereof to the second position thereof and back to the first position thereof. The slide member is preferably further formed with a substantially vertical transfer passage therein, and the intermediate passage is preferably formed so that it extends angularly downwardly from the storage chamber to the transfer passage and communicates with the outlet passage through the transfer passage. The transfer means preferably comprises a transfer pin which travels in the transfer passage when the slide member is moved between the first and second positions thereof. Further, the device is preferably constructed so that the transfer pin obstructs the adjacent end of the intermediate passage when the slide member is in the first position thereof but not when the slide member is in the second position thereof, and the transfer passage is preferably dimensioned and oriented for receiving a single article from the intermediate passage when the slide member is in the second position thereof. Still further, the transfer pin is preferably operative for engaging an article received in the transfer passage and for transferring it to the outlet passage as the slide member is moved from the second position thereof to the first position thereof. The transfer pin preferably extends substantially perpendicularly upwardly from the base portion, and the slide member is preferably reciprocally movable in a substantially vertical direction when the base portion is received on a supporting surface. The device preferably further comprises an outer sleeve which extends upwardly from the base portion, and the slide member preferably travels in the outer sleeve as it is moved from the first position thereof to the second position thereof. Still further, the dispenser preferably comprises an outer cap portion which is secured to the upper end of the slide member so that it travels along the outer side of the outer sleeve when the slide member is moved between the first and second positions thereof and which encloses the outer sleeve when the slide member is in the first position thereof.
For use and operation of the dispenser of the instant invention, a plurality of articles, such as capsules, are placed in the storage chamber by a manufacturer, distributor or vendor of the articles, and the slide member and the cap portion are permanently assembled with the base portion so that the slide member is upwardly and downwardly reciprocally movable between the first and second positions thereof when the base portion is positioned on a supporting surface to maintain the dispenser in a substantially vertical disposition. Thereafter, when the slide member is initially moved from the first position thereof to the second position thereof, a capsule falls into the trackway of the guide means; and when the slide member is then returned to the first position thereof, the capsule is guided into the intermediate passage by the guide means. As long as the slide member is thereafter maintained in the first position thereof, the transfer pin obstructs the intermediate passage so that the capsule is retained in the intermediate passage. However, when the slide member is again moved to the second position thereof, the capsule falls into the transfer passage so that it rests on the upper end of the transfer pin; and when the slide member is again returned to the first position thereof, the capsule is moved upwardly through the transfer passage and into the outlet passage so that it gravitates downwardly and passes through the outlet opening adjacent the lower end of the dispenser.
Accordingly, it is seen that the dispenser of the instant invention is operative with a reciprocating motion for reliably dispensing individual capsules in succession. In this regard, because of the manner in which articles are transferred from the storage chamber to the intermediate passage, from the intermediate passage to the transfer passage and from the transfer passage to the outlet passage, the dispenser is operative for reliably moving individual articles in succession between the storage chamber and the outlet passage as the slide member is reciprocated between the first and second positions thereof. Further, after the slide member has been initially reciprocated, a capsule is dispensed from the device each time the slide member is moved from the first position thereof to the second position thereof and back to the first position thereof.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide an effective dispenser for dispensing individual articles in succession.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an effective device for reliably dispensing ingestible articles, such as capsules, pills, caplets, or small candies.
An even further object of the instant invention is to provide a device for reliably dispensing small articles which is operative with a reciprocating motion.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.